Reading With the Grain final PDF

Preview

Summary

Reading with the Grain essay 1...

Description

Rebecca Gotthelf Reading is all about give and take. In order to understand what we read, we must balance our own opinions and thoughts about a text with the writer’s thoughts. “The modes of reading with the grain and reading against the grain are concepts that integrate readers’ abilities to change their perspective and challenge typical approaches” (Alexa Scarola). These two techniques of reading are used in the “Introduction” of Ways of Reading to make the reader more active and teach them to be more creative when reading. “It is dually the obligation of the reader and writer alike to generate this method of social interaction” (Cameron Diaz). Reading with and against the grain causes the reader and the author to be more active readers and writers, leading to both parties to be more productive. Reading with the grain forces us to really think about the paper from the writer’s point of view. By reading with the grain, we see our lives through the author’s terms and think about their point of view through the piece. The concept of reading with the grain might seem similar to looking for the main idea or message in a passage, but it entails so much more. While part of reading with the grain is to understand the writer’s message, it is more about seeing your own life through that message and through the author’s circumstances. Reading with the grain allows one to summarize and put other’s ideas into his or her own terms. Unlike reading with the grain, reading against the grain enables us to be creative and listen to our own ideas about the piece. When reading against the

grain we are able to challenge what we read and take charge of the text. This idea of reading against the grain is quite similar to critical thinking. Critical thinking during reading is an objective analysis of a piece and does not go as in depth as reading against the grain. “This form of critical reading is generally the more difficult because of how easy it is to just accept something as truth or as a solid piece of writing, while deeper in the wall, there are cracks” (Cameron Diaz). Reading against the grain explores alternate ideas and allows one to consider their own thoughts while reading. The quote “We think of reading as a social interaction. We need only look to the complex social interactions we engage in every day to imagine the multiple possibilities of reading” (B, P, W, 1) is a great example of reading against the grain. The text gives us the opportunity to really form our own ideas about what social reaction we will have with reading. We can expand on what we think this text means and also add to it with our own opinions. The quote “When you read, you hear an author’s voice as you move along; you believe a person with something to say is talking to you. You pay attention, even when you don’t completely understand what is being said, and you attempt to relate what the author says to what you already know” (B, P, W, 2) allows you to read with the grain because it helps you to relate the text to yourself and understand what the writer is seeing and thinking as they write.

Both reading with and against the grain are vital to understanding what we read. Reading with the grain may just seem like summarizing the reading and reading against the grain may seem just like critical thinking, but they are so much more than that. The concepts create great readers who not only understand what they are reading but also can relate or add to the reading in authoritative ways. BPW does not only talk about reading with and against the grain in the Introduction to Ways of Reading, they touch upon the point that when reading an essay or any form of literature, if you don’t understand the essay, then it becomes more difficult to relate to it or critique it. BPW says, “you must allow yourself a certain tentativeness and recognize your limits. You should not assume that it is your job to solve all the problems these essays present. You can speak with authority while still acknowledging that complex issues are complex” (p. 9). By reading and understanding to the best of your ability, you can begin to actually understand. I.A. Richards says, “Read as though it made sense and perhaps it will”. As well, BPW spends some time talking about “working with difficulty”. More often it’s easier to take a topic and work with the portions of said topic that you understand, rather than with the portions that you don’t. “Working with difficult readings often requires a willingness to step outside of what you can conveniently control, and this process often begins with revision” (p. 14). In order to work with a difficult reading, you need to step out of your comfort zone, and be

ready accept new ideas, and writing styles, rather than conform to the usual understanding you had. Lastly, BPW also talks a lot about “rereading” and “revision”. Bartholomae says of a revised text, “there is much to admire in this revision. It was early in the semester when writing is always risky, and it took courage and determination for a student to work with what he couldn’t quite understand, couldn’t sum up easily, couldn’t command” (p. 15) Revising your style of writing can be very difficult, even more so when it’s with a concept unbeknownst to you. However, revising and rereading can broaden your knowledge on topics that you never bothered to expand on. Rachel Fearing, wrote about how she thought an essential concept in the Introduction is writing to further understand what you are reading. “When a student is asked to write about something they have read it allows them to search their brain and figure out what exactly they took from that particular piece.” I understand Rachel’s point of view, and I agree that when you are asked to write about something as a student, you definitely understand it better. However, I feel like when one is reading with and against the grain they should be actively reading, thinking and making comments, rather than “storing information”. Sara Gomes took the fact that reading is like a social interaction out of the Introduction. “Like a conversation, it expresses different emotions. The book may

be slow, aggressive, confusing, or sad. It’s as if the author is speaking to the reader, and in turn, the reader can say something back.” I agree with what she is saying because when one is reading, a good way to read actively is to “converse” with the author and agree or disagree with their ideas, and question their ideas. There comes a point where when two things are compared so much, that there must be some underlying similarity. Reading with and against the grain are most definitely interdependent. In order to read with or against the grain, you must understand the concepts that are being included in the paper. Reading with the grain allows one to understand what the author’s purpose is. A way that reading with and against the grain are interdependent is that one must read with the grain, and see the author’s ideas through their own point of view, in order to be able to question it and make a valid argument or ask legitimate questions. As well, both forms of reading lead the reader to, “refine it [the text], to extend it” (p. 11). Both forms cause someone to take the text and refine it, and apply it to their own ideas. A good point made by Adam Cronin, is that “When a reader “reads against the grain” they challenge the text and ask questions in an attempt to think critically. When this happens a new understanding of the concept discussed is commonly created.” So not only can reading with the grain lead into reading against the grain, but vice versa. It’s interesting that Adam thinks that when you ask questions and challenge an author, it creates a new point of view that you can use to read with the

grain with. This is a perfect example of how reading with and against the grain are two concepts that are completely interdependent on each other....